The Princess and the Ranger
by Anna O'Carrick
Summary: Gilan/OC. "A Princess and a Ranger just aren't a good match." -Lady Pauline, book 7. It may not have worked out for Will and Cassandra, but Gilan's a whole different Ranger. And when he finds a wounded girl near the path by his house, he takes her in and cares for her. Who is this mysterious girl? Where did she come from? And why does Gilan feel a strange attraction to her?
1. Prologue

**Aaaaand… For the disclaimer, we have Will!**

**Will: Uh, hi?**

**Anna: *whisper-yells* SAY IT!**

**Will: Why should I? You don't own me! Or any of us, for that matter!**

**Anna: Good boy Willers!**

**Will: …**

**Anna: And now, to the story!**

Prologue

The sky was a brilliant blue. It was midsummer, and a soft breeze lifted the hem of the man's green cloak. The sun beamed down at him, and he whistled and walked along the gravel path. He stepped lightly across the small wooden bridge branching over the clear stream, the color of liquid glass. He strolled on by, smiling and enjoying the day.

The man's gaze fell on a lone aspen tree by the side of the path. _I'll have a rest, sit in the shade a little, then head on, _he thought. He strolled over to its trunk and leaned against it, sliding down so he was now seated on the hard-packed dirt.

The first hint that something was wrong was the sound. The man heard a whimper nearby, and he drew the sword kept at his belt. Carefully, cautiously, he crept towards the sound, alert and ready for danger.

He stooped to examine a red stain on the ground. With a jolt, he realized it was blood. Now he was even more wary- what if he was walking straight into a trap? But he continued on, cautiously, carefully. The whimpers and moans grew louder as the man got closer to the source. Suddenly, he halted in mid-step and bent over.

A body was lying in the grass, a girl's body. She was bloody and injured, but she opened her eyes as the man crept closer. Her mouth opened, and a faint voice came out. "Who are you?"

The man smiled reassuringly at her. "My name's Gilan," he said. That was all she could remember before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 1- Rangers and Revelations

**Welcome back my nonexistent readers! Joining us today for the disclaimer is Halt!**

**Halt: Anna, what is this?**

**Anna: Oh, this? This is my special kidnapping- ahem, ****_disclaimer chamber!_**

**Halt: …**

**Anna: Now you have to say it!**

**Halt: …**

**Anna: Any time before sunset would be nice!**

**Halt: Hey, that's MY line!**

**Anna: Fine. I don't own any of the characters- John Flanagan does. Except my OCs. Now let's leave Halt here and get on with the story!**

Rangers and Revelations

I felt a rough blanket against my skin, warm and comforting. It did not feel like the ones my father had given me for my travels, but it didn't matter. It was warm, and that was good enough for me.

I didn't remember what had happened last night, other than one thing. A gentle swaying, like when I was younger and my father would carry me to my room at night. A green cloak, or maybe not- I was very disoriented.

I smelled something delicious, and I blinked open my eyes and took in the surroundings for the first time. I was in a small house, with a man stirring a pot of stew. When he saw me awake, he said something in the common tongue, then walked over to my side and asked me something. I did not speak the common tongue.

"Qui sont vous?" I asked him. He said something else I didn't understand, then returned to the stew and started stirring again.

*Gilan POV*

"Qui sont vous?" the girl said. _Gallican, _I thought. To myself, I said, "I wish Halt was here. He'd know what she was saying." Then I returned to stirring the pot of stew.

"Did you need something?" A voice came from behind me. I jumped, and stew splashed everywhere.

"HALT!?" I screamed, whipping around.

He nodded, completely straight-faced, and said, "Me. You _did _say you wished I were here. So here I am."

I heard a sound coming from the bed. The Gallican girl was laughing. I shot her a glare, and she stopped, but I could tell from her face that she thought a Ranger with stew all over him was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. "Hilarious," I muttered.

"But stew aside," Halt said. "What do you need? And who's she?"

I explained, as best I could, about how I found the girl wounded by the path. He nodded and said, "And she doesn't speak the common tongue?"

"As far as I could tell. You speak Gallican, right, Halt?"

He nodded again. He walked to the girl's side and said, "Je suis l'Halt et c'est Gilan."

*Girl's POV* **(From now on, I will use English instead of translating into French.)**

I smiled as the man who had introduced himself as Halt spoke in my language. "I am called… Hannah." I felt sure he hadn't missed the hesitation as I said my name, but he didn't question it. I was relieved.

"So, Hannah, where do you come from?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Gallica." _Duh, _I thought.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, but where _in _Gallica?"

"The capital. I live near the palace. I see the king often." There. A little bit of truth. I certainly did see the king often.

"And why were you in Araluen?"  
I shrug. "Traveling."

*King Henri's POV*

"Your Majesty…"  
The man bowed down to me, a terrified expression on his face. "Yes?" I barked impatiently. I had just sat through a day of long petitions, and I was ready to go to sleep. But no, there had to be more idiots around.

"Your Majesty, I know you really want to be done with all this, and after all those petitions I would be ready to drop…" He rambled on and on until finally I cut him off.

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "It's your daughter. I was in her royal entourage when bandits struck. They killed every man. I was the only one left."

I leaped to my feet. "My daughter!? She's DEAD?!" I bellowed at the man.

He hurried to placate me. "No. But wounded. I saw her breathing and ran to fetch a healer. By the time I got back, she was gone. I assume someone stopped by to help-"

"GUARDS!" I yelled, shaking the castle with my voice. "Take this man to the dungeon and keep him there until we find my daughter! Take a patrol to the border! FIND HER!" To myself, I said softly, "Oh, Hannah, why did you have to go?"

**(A/N) So the girl is a princess. Of course she is. I'm so original. Don't worry, it will get better.**

**The princess's name, Hannah, is not pronounced with the H's. It is said "Ana" (ah-na). Just wanted to clear that up.**


	3. Chapter 2- Defense Lessons

**Hi again my friends! Who's ready for… THE DISCLAIMER? (Me, me, me…) Today, we have everyone's favorite… Erak!**

**Erak: Gorlog's beard! Who the devil are you?**

**Anna: I control your life!**

**Erak: Really?**

**Anna: Yep! And since I do, you have to say the disclaimer!**

**Erak: Okay then… Anna doesn't own any of us, except her OCs! Wait, you ****_don't _****own me? Well, I'll own you… with my ax!**

**Anna: Get to the story, quick!**

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"Gilan," I said. I now knew more of the common tongue. Halt stopped by frequently to help me learn, while Gilan was often banished to the background to do housework, a fact that I found immensely funny. But today was not one of those days, because today I was going to ask Gilan to teach me how to fight.

"Yes, Hannah?" he replied. I took a deep breath.

"Could you teach me to use a sword? So I could fight if the bandits ever came back?" I saw the protest forming on his lips and guessed what it was. "My wounds have healed. It's been two weeks, Gilan. I think it's time I stop being a burden and learn to fight."

He thought it over for a moment. My heart was in my throat. Finally, he nodded and said, "Sure. You're right. You're more than ready."

I squealed and hugged him. He returned the hug, a little startled at my outburst. I explained, "I've always wanted to learn to fight, but my father would never let me learn. It's because I'm a _girl, _I suppose." He walked outside, and I followed him.

"Okay, Hannah, can you lift this?" he asked me, handing me a branch. I picked it up, surprised by how heavy it was. He saw my expression and nodded, saying, "That's how heavy a normal sword is. But for now, we'll start out with this." He handed me a small wooden sword and I took it, examining it. It was light, but when I experimentally whacked a tree, it made a resounding thwacking sound. I smiled and faced Gilan. Before he could move, I rapped him on the arm with my sword. He yelped and reflexively released his own sword, rubbing the spot where I hit him.

"Hannah!" he said, scooping the wooden blade off the ground. I smirked, and he begun chasing me around with his sword. I playfully shrieked and ran away from him, going until we both collapsed in exhaustion.

"Now, let's get on with the actual lesson. How about that?" he suggested. I nodded, and we stood up.

He showed me a basic defensive position, which I copied. We went through a series of moves, and by the time the sun began going down, I had managed to beat him in a sparring match- though I suspected him of going easy on me.

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"You're coming along nicely," I said approvingly, and Hannah beamed. "The sun's setting, let's head back. We can practice some more tomorrow."

She skipped back to my house, looking so different from the scared, wounded girl I found just two weeks ago. She had filled out since then. Her curly coffee-brown hair was sleek and shiny, and her darker brown eyes had a new light in them.  
In other words, she was beautiful.

I shook my head. "You don't even know her. Besides, what about Jenny?" I berated myself. I conjured up an image of Jenny in my mind. Blonde hair, blue eyes, ladle in hand. Cheerful and happy. Yes, I love her. I don't love this strange Gallican girl.

But as I went inside, I wondered if that was really true.

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There were fifteen men assembled in front of me. They were the finest warriors in the Gallican army, or so the Captain of the Guard assured me. The same Captain stepped forward and knelt before me.

"Your Majesty," he said. "These fifteen men are some of Gallica's most capable warriors. They have all agreed to go and search Araluen for the princess."

"And what is the chance they will succeed?" I asked coldly.

"One hundred percent, your majesty."

I nodded. "It had better be. Otherwise, you and they will be executed for your failure."


	4. Chapter 3- Festivals and Heartbreaks

**Guess what? I'm back! I spent a lot of time during school today composing the next chapter in my head, so here it is! Oh, and I don't own these characters, except for Hannah.**

Festivals and Heartbreaks

I have been in Araluen for a month now, and I still don't understand why people go to festivals only to get drunk and stagger around and pick fights. The last time Gilan took me to see one of these festivals, I was nearly impaled on a Battleschool apprentice's sword as he showed off for a gaggle of pretty girls. So I don't understand why Gilan insisted on taking me to this next one. I asked him about it at breakfast this morning.

"Remember what happened last time?" He shrugged and ate a spoonful of oatmeal.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet," he told me. "She's meeting me- _us _at the festival tonight."

I sighed and resolved that if any Battleschool apprentice came near me, I would avoid him. Actually, if anyone had a sword, I would avoid him. I didn't need any lessons to know that little survival tip.

That day, Gilan took me out to practice swordsmanship again. I soon beat him in a sparring match… then another… then another. He didn't look at me, or even my general direction. He was standing in place and staring into the distance. I would disarm him, he would absentmindedly scoop up his sword, and then he'd ignore me once again. I tolerated this for a few minutes, but soon it started to get rather annoying.

Fed up, I waved my hand wildly in front of his face and loudly said, "Gilan! If I were fighting you for real, you would be dead by now! You could at least pretend to be interested in the lesson!"

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*Gilan's POV*

Hannah's voice snapped me out of my dreamlike state. My face turned a shade of bright red as I spun around to face her. She was glaring and looked absolutely terrifying with her wooden sword in hand. I had no doubt that she was just about ready to give me a serious injury.

"I… sorry, I was just… shall we get on with the lesson now?" I stammered out. She tilted her head and pretended to consider.

"Hmm… I don't know. Shall we? I mean," she said, glaring even more fiercely at me, "you looked pretty content there daydreaming. Is that today's lesson? I think I'll have a go." She spun on her heel and began marching back to my house.

"Hannah, wait!" She stopped and slowly, deliberately, turned back around.

"Yes?" she said icily.

"I'm sorry about that. I was just… thinking about the festival tonight."  
She tilted her head again. She looked adorable when she did that, even while she glared daggers at me. "Well, off you go then. I shan't be a bother to you any longer."

"Aren't you coming?"  
I startled myself with how desperate I sounded. Which was strange, because I had no reason to want her along. What with what happened last time and all, I should have told her to stay behind. But the words were out of my mouth now.

She stayed still for what felt like hours, deliberating. Finally, she said, "Okay. I forgive you. I couldn't stay mad at you for long." And she smiled at me. Dang, I had missed that smile.

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*Hannah's POV*

The festival looked exactly the same as it did last time: drunken men lolling in the streets, young apprentices gossiping about everyone who passed by, musicians strumming lutes or mandolas and people dropping coins in their cases. Gilan led me expertly through the crowd, until we reached a park. I looked around, fascinated. Gilan had never showed me this part of the town.

Sitting on a bench was a pretty, blonde girl whom Gilan walked up to. When she saw him, she stood and gave him a kiss.

_Gilan's girlfriend?_

The first thing I felt was a feeling of loss and betrayal. I wondered at the feeling, until I realized what it was. I had fallen in love with the tall Ranger. I laughed bitterly to myself. What a time for such a realization! Gilan had forgotten about me for the moment, alternately talking and sharing kisses with the girl. I sat down on a park bench far away from the happy couple and rested my head in my hands.

I loved Gilan. How could that be, if he already had a girlfriend? I had no right to resent her, I realized. She was pretty, Araluen, and had gotten to him first. I, on the other hand, was not beautiful, at least compared to some of the girls in Gallica. I was by no means Araluen. And Gilan had found me wounded by the path, probably long after he and the girl got together.

I sat up and realized I was crying.

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*Gilan's POV*

After a while, I remembered Hannah. Feeling guilty about forgetting her, I turned around and saw- nobody. Standing up, I wandered around the park, looking for her familiar face. Then I found her sitting on a park bench. When she noticed me, she rubbed her eyes and smiled. I couldn't help but feel that the smile was fake.

She followed me back to my park bench and sat down next to me. But she seemed distant and almost sad. I would ask her about it later. But now, there were introductions to make.

"Hannah, this is Jenny, my girlfriend. Jenny, this is Hannah." Hannah gave that false smile again. Jenny looked at me and said, "Who's she?"

"She's Hannah, I told you that," I said, confused. Jenny wasn't normally so short-tempered. First Hannah seemed distant, and then Jenny was angry. Festivals were cause for strange happenings, I thought.


	5. Chapter 4- On the Beach

**Hey! I was so excited for this next part that I began writing it as soon as I finished the previous one! So, have another chapter my friends!**

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On the Beach

Jenny excused herself after what felt like hours of chatting with Gilan. She was putting on a show, it appeared, simpering and smiling at him whenever possible and pointedly ignoring me. Was she… jealous? I could tell from Gilan's face that he was bemused by her behavior. I was relieved when she finally left.

Gilan and I wandered around the town for the next couple of hours, singing and dancing and sampling food. He got pretty intoxicated, and I think I did too. The night was a blur. But I had the time of my life.

One thought was nagging at the back of my mind. Jenny. Even the effects of the alcohol couldn't erase the memory of her jealousy. But then Gilan pulled me away to the next gathering, and I had no time to think.

In the midst of a rapid dance in which everybody switches partners every few beats, I excused myself and stepped out. The effects of the liquor were beginning to wear off, and my head was pounding. I wobbled over to the nearest refreshment stand and asked for a drink of water. The girl, only about a few years older than me, smiled at me and handed me the drink, which I sipped gratefully.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I spun around, relaxing when I saw Gilan. I stuck my tongue out at him and shooed him with my hand. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the girl at the stand.

"He your boyfriend?" she asked. I shook my head.

"He's got a girlfriend already."

She raised an eyebrow. "He really does? He seems rather taken with you." She gave a little smile and glanced meaningfully in the direction he had gone.

I nodded. "Aye, he really does," I assured her. Waving goodbye to the girl, I walked in the direction Gilan had gone, thinking about the conversation. _"He seems rather taken with you." _Why would he be, if he's got Jenny?

I wandered down a long pathway towards the ocean. I heard waves crashing on the sandy shore- and saw two figures, walking hand in hand along the beach.

One of them was a girl with blonde hair. Even from there, I could tell it was Jenny. Reluctantly, I looked at the other figure, which must be Gilan.

It wasn't.

Then I noticed the person next to me. Instinctively, I knew it was Gilan, watching his former girlfriend and the other boy, now gazing into each other's eyes.

He turned to me. "Why, Hannah?" he whispered. "Why?" And I could only shake my head.

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I felt a sadness inside me, but there was something that confused me. The feeling was not as strong as it would have been if Jenny had left me a month ago. _Before Hannah came, _a voice in my head whispered. And I knew it was right.

I licked my lips, absentmindedly. I noticed Hannah watching me, and I smiled weakly and joked, "Still taste Jenny,"

She smiled at me, and before I knew what happened, she was kissing me. Her lips were so, so sweet. Too soon, she pulled back and whispered, "I don't."

I closed my eyes and allowed myself a moment to be stunned. It had felt so _right! _I knew I didn't love Jenny anymore. In fact, when I thought about it, I had stopped loving her a long time ago.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Hannah watching me fearfully. "Hannah, I'm sorry, but-"

I saw a tear slip down her cheek as she turned to go. "Wait!" I said. "Let me finish." She turned back, still crying softly. "I was going to say…" I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I should have told you earlier. I love you even more than I ever loved Jenny. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

She began to cry again, but that time, they were happy tears. She nodded, and together we walked all the way back to my house.

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**(A/N) Aww! So adorable. I know Jenny would never act like that, but it was that or kill her off. And I couldn't do that. So there you have it. One thing- is that too much for K+? Should I change it to T, or leave it? Please tell me what you think. Thanks! And don't forget, R+R!**


	6. Chapter 5- Chasing Arrows

**Hello again my friends! I know I haven't updated in a while, I'm sorry about that. But I'm back! Also, I'm going to change the title into something a little less… cliché. You know what I mean. There are probably a million stories called "Meant to Be." Now on with the story!**

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Chasing Arrows

The next morning, I felt like I was walking on air. The sun was shining and birds sang their songs in the trees. The aroma of cooking food washed over me, and I opened my eyes to see a plate on the small table next to my bed. _Thank you, Gilan, _I thought as I ate the breakfast and swung out of bed.

"Good morning!" called a cheery voice from across the room. Gilan was sitting on a stool and sipping a cup of coffee. "Want some?" he said, gesturing to the steaming pot. I smiled and poured some of the dark liquid into a cup.

"So today I was planning to go practice my archery," Gilan said. I tilted my head, confused.

"Your shooting is perfect!" I protested.

He shook his head, smiling. "Ah, you know the saying: 'An ordinary archer practices until he gets it right. A Ranger practices until he never gets it wrong.' And while I am rather good- I might even say great- I still get it wrong sometimes."

I nodded, though I still believed he hardly needed practice, considering his skill. "Could you teach me how to shoot?"

He said, "Well, you would have to have a bow made. You would use a recurve bow first, before the longbow, and I don't have one since I learned to use _my_ longbow. But I can order one made for you, and in a couple of months, if you still want, I can teach you."

A little put out, I said, "Okay… I'll just watch you for now."

We headed outside, and he led me to a target range. There were four, each farther away from the last. Gilan raised his longbow and took aim at the closest target. He drew back, and then shot the arrow. It slammed into the center of the target with a resounding _thwack._

Despite Gilan's earlier statement about me needing a bow made before I could shoot, I asked him, "Can I try? Just one arrow?"  
He considered, and finally said, "Yes. Just one arrow."

I picked up the longbow, almost as tall as me, and nocked an arrow. The point began to drop, and I corrected it hurriedly. Quickly, before anything else could happen, I drew and shot.

The arrow went wide, about ten feet to the left of the target I was aiming at. My shoulders dropped, but Gilan smiled and said, "That was very good, for a first shot. The first time I ever tried to shoot a bow, I nearly hit Halt, standing behind me. He just raised an eyebrow and said, 'Well done. Why did you become my apprentice, if you're so far into your training as an assassin?'"

I laughed, feeling a bit better about my shot. "I guess I'd better recover that." Gilan nodded, and I headed into the woods after my wayward arrow.

I walked past pine trees, oak trees, and redwood trees and didn't see my arrow. And soon, I realized I would never find my way home either. I was lost. Unless Gilan came to find me, I would have to stay in the forest for the rest of my life. And while I didn't think it would come to that, I knew that despite Gilan's tracking skills, it could be hours or even days before he found me.

After about two hours of wandering, I came to a shallow stream. I dropped to my knees and began to drink the cold, clear water. I peeled a piece of tree bark and began to chew, remembering that some bark was edible. It was rough, gritty and tasteless, but I swallowed it. Then I noticed the tents.

They were unimpressive, leaf-green and small, arranged in a circle. I would have missed them had it not been for the bed of coals in the center of the circle. They were dim and clearly hadn't been lit for a while. I watched the campsite, and when nobody emerged or made a sound, I crept into the nearest tent.

There was a single trunk in this tent, with a bed and a small table being the only other adornments. I searched the trunk, finding a small piece of hard bread. It wasn't much, but it was the only food I had had since the breakfast Gilan had made for me that morning. I chewed disconsolately on the bread, and then moved to the next tent.

My first hint of trouble was the snap of a twig outside and the sound of footfalls approaching the little camp. I froze, but when nobody came into the tent I was hiding in, I relaxed a little. That was my first mistake.

As I loosened my tensed muscles, I banged my elbow on the trunk I had just raided. A small squeak of pain escaped me, and I heard the person or people outside approach my tent.

My second mistake was to attempt to make myself as small as possible in the hopes that the person would pass me by. As I scrunched myself into the corner, the person noticed the flurry of movement… and left the area around my tent.

My third mistake was to believe he was truly gone.

As soon as I heard him recede, I crept out of the tent's mouth and looked around. Seeing nobody, I dashed to the edge of the woods. Then I felt a hand tighten around my wrist.

"Well, what d'we have here?" he leered, grinning at me. He wore a mask over the upper half of his face, but when he smiled, I could see his rotting brown teeth and smelled his terrible breath. I knew then that I had landed myself into a horrible situation.

Licking his lips, he said, "My friends'll pay for the likes o' you," he said, smirking. "He been lookin' for a pretty young thing to pass the time with 'im."

I screamed… and a lot of things happened at once.

The man released my wrist, a startled look on his face. I looked down at his chest and saw a silver sword sprouting from his torso. He slid down and crumpled on the ground. I looked up at the owner of the sword, and got another shock.

He wore the armor of the Royal Guard of Gallica, gleaming silver with the royal crest over the right breast. The sword, I could see, was the type of sword Gallican knights used.

"Princess Hannah!" he exclaimed in Gallican. I received another jolt, not having heard anyone speak to me in my native language for a month. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" As he said the words, he sank into a deep bow, which must have been uncomfortable in his full suit of armor.

My voice shook as I said, "Just- just terrified out of my wits." Fortunately, I was still fluent in Gallican. I gestured for the warrior to stand, and he did so, nodding in understanding at my words.

"Where have you been? Your father, his majesty King Henri, has been worried sick about you. He'll be so happy when I return you to him, safe and sound."

"I've been living with a man called Gilan- he found me and took me to live with him, and I did for about a month. Then this morning, I went into the woods, and then I got lost, and then that man found me, and I was probably about to be killed or worse when you turned up and killed him and…" I trailed off, realizing for the first time that the warrior must not have understood half of what I said.

"Come with me, your highness. My company is not far from here, and we have food and water and a place for you to sleep."

Slowly, I stood, testing my legs. I followed the warrior to a clearing by a stream, where there were several more soldiers milling about. The soldier who found me called out to the others, "Men! I have found the princess!"

The fifteen men around the camp all looked up at his voice. "Truly, Armel? Or is this another drunken trick?" Several laughed at the joke, but Armel insisted.

"Look up, men! It's truly her!" I did my best to look regal, but in my dirty, hungry, terrified state, it was hard to pull off.

Another man rushed up to the two of us. "Armel, you are dismissed. Good work," he added. "Your highness, Princess Hannah, I am Maël, the captain of the guard. We are glad you are safe." He looked over his shoulder, at the stream- no, _across _the stream, towards the setting sun, where Gallica lay. I had not realized I was so close to the border, or that it was so close to night.

"Come now, your highness," said Maël. "We've just had dinner, but our cook could make you something right away. Then you can sleep. We've had a tent prepared for you." He gestured to a large tent by the stream. I felt a pang that the soldiers were sleeping in such tiny, flimsy tents, while that grand one remained empty, there almost to tease them.

Maël led me to the large tent and left, promising to return soon with a meal. I looked around the tent, marveling at its appearance. Tents were, in my experience, dirty, small, and unfurnished by anything but the bare necessities. This one was none of that. Woven mats covered the ground, successfully hiding away the dirt. The inside was, if possible, even more spacious than it had appeared from the outside. And as for furniture, I had a bed, two trunks, a table and chair, dresser, and even a mirror.

I felt another pang for the soldiers, but shrugged it away. Maël returned with the meal, and I ate quickly and fell asleep.

The last conscious thought I had was of Gilan's face, worried and wondering where I was. But soon it was gone as I slipped into sleep.

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*Maël POV*

After the princess fell asleep, Armel told me something else the princess had said to him as he brought her to the camp.

"She said she lived with a man called Gilan for a month, before she ran away into the woods and I found her."

I was startled. "She ran away? He must have been abusive to her, or treated her badly."

Armel nodded. "That's exactly what I thought."

I sat down on a bench by the campfire, thinking. "Armel, did she say anything about what he looked like?"

"No," said the warrior. "She just said his name. But you can ask her tomorrow. And then we can go looking for him."

I nodded thoughtfully. "And bring him back to Gallica with us."

"Give him a trial."

"And execute him. If he's mistreated our princess, make no mistake, he will die for his crimes."

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**(A/N) Wow, that was long! I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written. Sorry for the super-long time in Hannah's POV, by the way. I just really wanted her to meet up with the company of Gallican soldiers. On another note, Gilan's in trouble! What should happen to him? I can't execute him, of course. But I could torture him… Fun! Just kidding. But it won't be nice for him now that everyone believes he's hurt our princess. And on that happy note, bye for now!**


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